Audible Book Review: Renegades, Expeditionary Force, Book 7, by Craig Alanson

I enjoy this series with the snarky AI and the pirate crew who manage to pull off miracles.
Renegades
Expeditionary Force, Book 7
By: Craig Alanson
Narrated by: R.C. Bray

Length: 17 hrs and 7 mins
Release date: 03-26-19
Publisher: Podium Audio
Genre: Adventure, Military, Space Opera
My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.0; Narration 4.5.

Publisher's Summary
The battle-scarred star carrier Flying Dutchman is finally on her way back to Earth, after an exceptionally successful series of missions that have once again saved the world. The ship needs a serious refit, and her exhausted crew just wants a break from constant clandestine warfare against a vicious and superior enemy. Wishes come true, right? Not for the Merry Band of Pirates.
Includes special bonus note from the author.
©2018 Craig Alanson (P)2019 Podium Publishing

Review:
The Flying Dutchman made it back to Earth to report their bizarre but successful missions that saved the world, temporarily. The crew also had to report to authorities that the enemy is headed to destroy Earth. As the ship is being worked on, the officers get heavy debriefing, and some of the crew gets much needed R and R. Skippy is creating a cult following among the humans but he is following the secretive government meetings too. It appears that Bishop will not be asked to lead the next mission and the other decisions don’t look too good to Bishop and the former crew.

In the nick of time Skippy manages to round up a bare crew of former members of the Merry Band of Pirates and a handful of new recruits who volunteer to sacrifice their Earthly lives to take control of the ship and head out to face the enemy. Bishop and the makeshift crew have to face the impossible again – find a way to stop the two vastly superior enemy ships that are heading to attack Earth. Bishop and Skippy trade awful insults (to the point of “Enough, already!”) while waiting for “the monkey” to come up with a beyond logic idea to meet the mission.

This is the seventh book in this serries and I am still enjoying it. Yes, the insults are becoming almost unpleasant and thereby losing some of the humor. Still, I enjoyed the energy, the camaraderie, and the tricks pulled out of the hat to meet their goal. I suppose it makes sense that the ship commander has to remain apart and alone but it would be nice to see something new develop for Bishop. I will continue in the series and recommend this to fans of military space opera.

Audio Notes: R.C. Bray is the voice of these characters. The variety of accents is remarkable. His narration absolutely adds to my enjoyment of the story.

Source: 7/31/2022 July Audible Credit. This qualifies for 2023TBR and 2023Audiobook goals.

Sunday Post April 23, 2023/It's Monday! What are You Reading? Plus Mailbox Monday April 24, 2023

I am linking with Sunday Post at Caffeinated Book Reviewer.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? now at The Book Date (at Wordpress)

What Are You Reading? is where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week. It is a great way to network with other bloggers, see some wonderful blogs, and put new titles on your reading list.

Last week was a bit of a push for me as I prepared to be out of office Friday for a GFWC Conference. I expect to be doubly busy this week but we'll see how it turns out.

The Conference theme was "Puttin' on the Ritz" and here are most of us from our District 2 (members from 5 clubs) in our flapper dresses:

I sort of hide in the back row when it's picture time!

My continuing prayers include prayers for more unity in all nations, a calmer social atmosphere, and for revival.
Things are moving in my office so we may see some changes soon.

Our weather has been pretty nice and not too hot yet.

I finished two audios this past week and posted two reviews and my memes.

I visited only 13 blogs last week.
Shout out this week to GULFSIDE MUSINGS. JoAnn shares on books she reads as well as some lovely images and family moments too.

Audiobooks.com is still sharing some free listens for children.

• Sunday Post April 16, 2023/It's Monday! What are You Reading? Plus Mailbox Monday April 17, 2023.

• ATBR: Audible Book Review: To Whisper Her Name by Tamera Alexander; Genre: Civil War, Historical Romance, Sweet Romance; My Rating: 5.0 of 5.0 Overall; Story 5.0; Narration 5.0. 
  

• ATBR: Audible Book Review: Werewolf Cop by Andrew Klavan; Genre: Occult, Police Procedure, Suspense; My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.25; Narration 4.25.

• Sunday Words of Encouragement April 23, 2023 - The Lord's Prayer.
  

Finished Reading:
1. Audible Smartphone (ATBR)

Renegades
Expeditionary Force, Book 7
By: Craig Alanson
Narrated by: R.C. Bray
Length: 17 hrs and 7 mins
I enjoy this series with the snarky AI and the pirate crew who manage to pull off miracles.
Source: 7/31/2022 July Audible Credit.
Click on book title for full description.

2. Audible Smartphone (ATBR)

The Fifth Victim
The Cherokee Pointe Series, Book 1
By: Beverly Barton
Narrated by: Marguerite Gavin
Length: 10 hrs and 23 mins
I liked the occult element and the suspense (but not the amount of sex.)
Source: 6/10/2021 Free from Audible Plus.
Click on book title for full description.

Currently Reading:
1. Audio Smartphone (ATBR)

The Instructor
By T.R. Hendricks
Narrated by: Jay Snyder
Series: Derek Harrington, Book 1
Length: 9 hrs and 45 mins
I am enjoying the military survival training in this suspenseful story.
Source: 2023 NetGalley.
Derek Harrington, retired Marine Force Recon and SERE instructor, is barely scraping by teaching the basics of wilderness survival. His fledgling bushcraft school is on the cusp of going out of business and expenses are piling up fast. His only true mission these days? To get his ailing father into a full care facility and to support his ex-wife and their son.
When one of his students presents him with an opportunity too good to be true―$20,000 to instruct a private group for 30 days in upstate New York―Derek reluctantly takes the job, despite his reservations about the group's insistence on anonymity. But it isn't long before the training takes an unexpected turn―and a new offer is made.
Reaching out to an FBI contact to sound his concerns, Derek soon finds himself in deep cover, deep in the woods, embroiled with a fringe group led by a charismatic leader who will stop at nothing to get what he wants. When what he wants becomes Derek's head, the teacher is pitted against his students as Derek races against time to stop what could very well be the first attack by the domestic terrorist cell.

2. Audible Smartphone (ATBR)

Get Up and Grow: 21 Habits of Successful People
By Duke Matlock
Our Pastor gave this to Board members in March. I started it but set it aside. Now I am reading it daily to have it fresh in my mind for our next Board meeting early in May.
I am enjoying the learning process.
Source: March 2023 gift from Pastor.
Get Up and Grow is about developing habits that foster personal and professional growth in four critical areas: spirituality, success, health, and margin. In six chapters, Get Up and Grow will enable you to shift your paradigm and create a culture of growth and investment in your life. By utilizing your mornings as opportunities for development, Get Up and Grow will change the way you view success and will create the space to see exponential growth.

I will get to a third book (an audio) and I will decide when I get there, again.

April 23, 2023 - I continue to enjoy another BibleProject plan: The Full Story - "From the beginning to the Amen".
I am reading the paperback instead of the an App study.

I finished two audio titles and reviewed two so I remain up to date.

NETGALLEY STATUS--
I still have one more audio and one newer ebook on my NetGalley shelf.
I still have the two old NetGalley ebook titles.

I have one author review in my queue that I need to start reading on my computer. (I need to look back and see which one this is.)
(Plus a few that I received from Facebook links and newsletter sign-ups, not specific review requests.)
Still many titles through InstaFreebie and many new author requests I haven't replied to.

Welcome to Mailbox Monday.

Mailbox Monday is a gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week and explore great book blogs. This Meme started with Marcia at A Girl and Her Books (fka The Printed Page) and after a tour of hosts has returned to its permanent home at Mailbox Monday. Thanks to the ladies sharing hosting duties: Serena of Savvy Verse & Wit, me, and newest to the team, Emma at Words and Peace.
Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.

No review titles and no wins last week.
Only one Audio from Plus Catalog last week.
I got one free Kindle title last week.
Are your mailbox and TBR piles blooming?

Review Titles

NONE

Won

NONE

Purchased

NONE

Free

4/20/2023 Free Kindle (author newsletter):

Silenced Witness (Jessie Black Legal Thrillers Book 6)
Larry A. Winters

The Postman
By: David Brin
Narrated by: Kevin Kenerly
Length: 9 hrs and 55 mins
(I stumbled onto this and I do like the movie.)


One new title added to Kindle library. 
Free titles might be found at Bookbub, Book Adrenaline, Ereader News Today, Inspired Reads, or Kindle ebooks.

Sunday Words of Encouragement April 23, 2023 - The Lord's Prayer

I was away at GFWC Florida Conference this weekend and just arrived home. We attended a sweet memorial service this morning for those members who died over the past year. We said the Lord's Prayer together and I found this song to share.

The Lord's Prayer (It's Yours)

Verses for today:
Matthew 6:9-13 (NIV)
9 “This, then, is how you should pray:
“‘Our Father in heaven,
     hallowed be your name,
10 your kingdom come,
     your will be done,
     on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts,
     as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation,
     but deliver us from the evil one.’

Audible Book Review: Werewolf Cop by Andrew Klavan

This is a dark story with a positive ending.

Werewolf Cop
By: Andrew Klavan
Narrated by: Andrew Klavan

Length: 10 hrs and 7 mins
Release date: 03-24-15
Publisher: Dreamscape Media, LLC
Genre: Occult, Police Procedure, Suspense
My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.25; Narration 4.25.

Publisher's Summary
Zach Adams is one of the best detectives in the country. Nicknamed Cowboy, he serves on a federal task force that has a single mission: to hunt down Dominic Abend, a European gangster.
After a brutal murder gives them a lead, Zach feels like he's finally on Abend's trail. But things get complicated and very, very weird. Zach is beginning to suspect that Abend's evil goes beyond crime - perhaps to the edge of the supernatural.
In a centuries-old forest under a full moon, a beast assaults him, cursing him forever. In the aftermath Zach is transformed into something horrible - something deadly. Now the good cop has innocent blood on his hands. He has killed - and he will kill again - in the form of a beast that can't be controlled or stopped.
©2015 Amalgamated Metaphor (P)2015 Dreamscape Media, LLC

Review:
Zach Adams is on the hunt for a crime beast, Dominic Abend. A clue involving a strange ritualistic blade takes Zach to an obscure professor in Germany. The circumstances of their first meeting are strange, but their second meeting in a forest under a full moon leaves Zach with broken memories, flashes of violence, and an encounter he attributes to a nightmare until he recognizes the truth.

Zach met Abend once before leaving for Europe. Zach was almost overtaken by evil creatures in the dark, somehow controlled by Abend. When Zach returns to America, he begins to realize that Abend has occult powers. Abend has crossed Europe leaving devastation in his wake and now he is in America, not far from Zach’s territory.

While Zach is chasing the criminal, Abend seems to be one step ahead and there is the suspicion of a mole in Zach’s police office, and Zach is left at odds with his partner. Zach may have the only chance to take Abend down, but he may lose his family, if not his very life, in the process.

I like werewolf stories, so I was interested in this. Zach’s character is well developed so the reader feels his pain when he becomes the beast. I was definitely rooting for him to kill the horribly evil villain and resolve his personal issues. I liked the redemptive conclusion. The story read fairly quickly and would make a good October/Horror read if a reader likes to read dark stories near Halloween. I recommend the book to fans of occult and dark stories.

Audio Notes: Andrew Klavan, the author, did a good job with the narration. Not all author narrations are successful, but I thought this one worked really well. I am glad I listened to the audio.

Source: 10/31/2020 Audible Two for One Credit Sale. This qualifies for 2023TBR, 2023Audiobook,and 2023Alphabet goals.

Audible Book Review: To Whisper Her Name by Tamera Alexander

This is a lovely, character driven Civil War romance and I will get more books by this author.
To Whisper Her Name
By: Tamera Alexander
Narrated by: Tavia Gilbert

Series: A Belle Meade Plantation Novel, Book 1
Length: 17 hrs and 8 mins
Release date: 11-30-12
Publisher: Zondervan
Genre: Civil War, Historical Romance, Sweet Romance
My Rating: 5.0 of 5.0 Overall; Story 5.0; Narration 5.0.

Publisher's Summary
From best-selling author Tamera Alexander comes an exquisite historical novel set against the real history of Belle Meade Plantation in Nashville, Tennessee, that explores the struggles of real people of the post-war South and the journeys of a man and a woman scarred by betrayal.
Olivia Aberdeen, destitute widow of a man shot as a traitor to the South, is shunned by proper society and gratefully accepts an invitation from Elizabeth Harding, mistress of Belle Meade Plantation. Expecting to be the Hardings’ head housekeeper, Olivia is disillusioned when she learns the real reason Elizabeth’s husband, Confederate General William Giles Harding, agreed to her coming. Not finding the safe haven she expects, Olivia is caught off guard by her feelings for Ridley Adam Cooper, a man who seems anything but a Southern gentleman.
Branded a traitor by some, Ridley Cooper, a Southern son who chose to fight for the Union, is a man desperate to end the war still raging inside him. Determined to learn “the gift” that Belle Meade's head horse trainer and former slave, Bob Green, possesses, Ridley harbors secrets that threaten both their lives.
As Ridley seeks to make peace within himself for fighting against the South he loved, Olivia is determined to never be betrayed again.
…
This inspirational historical romance can be listened to as a stand-alone novel or enjoyed as the first audiobook in Tamera Alexander’s Belle Meade series.
Audiobook length: approximately 125K words. Includes discussion questions for book clubs and a note from the author.
©2012 Tamera Alexander (P)2012 Zondervan

Review:
Olivia is a proper Southern lady whose marriage was arranged for her by her father. She soon learned that her husband was not the Southern Gentleman that he pretended to be. But she had no idea of the actions he was taking that resulted in him being executed as a traitor to the South. She now bears the stigma that leads to her being shunned by proper society. Fortunately, she is taken in by an “aunt”, Elizabeth Harding, mistress of Belle Meade Plantation. She thought she would help the household as head housekeeper but instead, Confederate General William Giles Harding was willing to allow her to stay only in a different capacity. Olivia is willing to take on the alternate duties but knows that the position is likely to be temporary and that the General has other plans to direct her remarriage.

Ridley Adam Cooper is a man from South Carolina who choose to fight for the Union. He has dreams to develop land as a homesteader in Colorado. But before he goes further west, he is seeking to learn about horse training from Bob Green, a former slave and the head trainer at Belle Meade. Ridley and Bob ‘met’ during the war but must keep that a secret. General Harding would never allow a Union soldier to work with his horses and would most likely put Bob out for the secret he has harbored and for being willing to help Ridley.

Although Ridley doesn’t have the same touch and patience as Bob, he does have a knack for handling the ranch hands. He soon gains respect from all but the most disgruntled of the men and General Harding promotes him to foreman.

Ridley stumbled upon Olivia the first day they arrived at the Plantation. She had been trapped in an overturned carriage and he rescued her in spite of her protests. He was kind even as she was bristly. As the days go by, Ridley and Olivia realize that they have a common position as wounded outsiders. Slowly a friendship and warmer feelings develop although Olivia plans to remain in Tennessee and Ridley is set on going west.

Olivia’s character grew in strength and confidence as Ridley baited her and encouraged her. I liked both of these main characters and was rooting for them to work things out. Bob Green is another wonderful character, and the members of the Harding family are well developed and fitting characters of the era. There is excellent historical detail of the black community on the plantation, including struggles to open freedmen schools. They are welcoming to Ridley and Olivia but there is still clear prejudice, anger and disdain shown by the General and his friends.

I enjoyed the faith aspect to the story that is lightly developed and embraced. I will seek more books from this author. I recommend this to readers who enjoy Civil War stories and sweet romance.

Audio Notes: Tavia Gilbert does a beautiful job with the narration. She conveys the personalities of the characters and provides the appropriate energy. I enjoyed the audio experience. CAVEAT – The prologue is an important element of the book but was left out of the audio. It can be read through the “Look Inside” Kindle format.

Source: February 2018 Audible Sale $5.95. This qualifies for 2023TBR and 2023Audiobook goals.